Overview

This is the first course in control theory. It deals with the design of controllers using a Classical control methodology and covers these topics:

Classical control concepts for continuous-time, time-invariant, linear systems. Block diagram and system representations, various stability criteria, steady-state analysis, root-locus and frequency response compensation techniques, fundamental compensator architectures. Software assignments for design and verification of controllers.

Course structure:

• Lectures, 4 hours per week

• Homework, weekly, may be graded or ungraded

• Labs, one 3-hour lab per week, run by TA, graded lab reports

• Possible weekly quizzes, one midterm, and a final

• Grading criteria may vary with instructor

A more formal course description can be found here:

https://www.pdx.edu/electrical-computer-engineering/ece-317-signals-and-systems-iii

Required TA Skills

You need a solid background in the material covered in the course:

1. A good understanding of Classical Control.

2. The lab involves construction of an electronic system, therefore Lab TAs need to be familiar with building circuits on breadboards and with the bench equipment in the circuits lab: DC power supply, multimeter, function generator and oscilloscope. Must be able to help students troubleshoot their circuits and equipment problems in a more complex lab project.

3. Lab TAs must be adept at the use of Matlab and quickly become familiar with the PECS simulator (available on Dr.Tymerski’s web page)

4. Lab TAs must be comfortable talking to and working with a diverse group of students on both an individual and group basis.

TA Responsibilities

The TA position is a 0.30 FTE assignment. The job will be either two lab sections or one lab section plus a lecture assistant.

Lab TAs are required to:

1. Work through lab experiments before the lab.

2. Attend the lab section(s) each week. Be present and help students the entire lab period.

3. Give an introduction to the lab each week, clarifying instructions and highlighting any important information students need to know.

4. Help students during each lab session, answering questions and checking each group’s progress. There may be an undergraduate student assistant to help with large lab sections.

5. Grade their submitted lab reports in a timely manner and possibly upload student scores and feedback to D2L.

6. Be available for an office hour outside of lab time; be responsive to student email questions.

7. Be in contact with the instructor and keep them informed of any problems in the lab.

Lecture TAs are required to:

1. Grade homework and quizzes in a timely manner and possibly upload student scores and feedback to D2L.

2. Hold office hours for 2 hours per week; be responsive to student email questions.

3. There may be other responsibilities depending on the instructor such as holding exam review sessions, proctoring or grading exams, or other assistance to the instructor if requested.

4. Be in contact with the instructor and keep them informed of any problems observed in homework or office hours.